Calamari Made Me Happy!!

Yaaaaay!! I finally got to eat fried Calamari with the GB Gals after a short seafood hiatus. Seriously people, is there a lack of abundance in Calamari or what??

Yesterday was meant to be spent at the Inter-Continental Hotel where NTU held talks & seminars on their courses for the upcoming intake in 2006. I, of course, had spied a course in Communication Studies & was rearing to go. Well, kinda. I hadn't been out of the house for quite some time now so it was a good time as any to heave in a breath of fresh air. After all, I had just overcome a few hurdles, also known as, my common test papers.

Don't ask how I did. I would consider myself a very lucky camper to escape this semester unscathed.

Partially through the talk, I was half-bored out of my wits & so were Blome & Penese. The speakers had only gone through half of the specializations available in the course & unfortunately, I was only interested in the first two: Journalism & Publishing & Communication Research.

But, after turning to speak to one of their students who was from the JC & took on the course, my heart took a frighteningly jolting plummet as he told me that the GPA needed to enter was a 3.5. Hell, I'm not even a 2.5; how the heck was I supposed to be considered as a potential candidate. And they kept saying, "We hope you'll consider us as part of your learning experience."

Dude, the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question is, will YOU accept people like US??

Gee whizz...

And even though the lecturer outside told us that our GPAs weren't accounted for, I was less than convinced. Bullcrap. That's it. I'm taking SATs, despite the fact that it isn't a requirement. Granted, I never had to repeat any of my modules, but heck, I just get by through the skin of my teeth!!

Anywayz, met Sabby & Darius from YEP Thailand who also went for the same talk as I did; but since I left much earlier than them to walk around, I didn't see them inside only untill we happened to bump into each other. Darius was encouraging enough to ask me to go ahead & try, which I definitely would & Sabby suggested I fluff through my interview if my application went through & dazzle them with my sunny disposition.

Like, ya thunk??

Anywayz, on the way out of the hotel, I felt a tap on my shoulder & was delighted to see Fala from the Old Gang. Of course lahh, she was not alone. She was also there for the same reason I was; although I'm fairly certain that between the both of us, she'd be the one to make the cut if she applied. Like, her GPA was bloody 3.45!!

I stand pale in comparison. Those leaflets, booklets & that prospectus I picked up from NTU are almost definitely going down the chute for me. Almost. Mom told me to try my very best for my last semester. Awwwww, Moooooom!!

I don't want to study in Singapore, lahh. I don't want to go for the universities in Australia either, because of their slightly annoying twang. Which was why I wanted to go for the universities in England. No offence to fellow Aussie friends, but yeah, I'd prefer hearing the English speak English than the Aussies speak English.

Unfortunately, luck & finance is not on my side. The furthest I can probably go is Australia OR the last resort, Canada. Which I am trying to rule out as well.

*Bursts into tears*

Why is going for further education such a hard thing to do?? I don't think my cousin ever needed to overcome these obstacles.

Ohh yeah. I forgot. *slaps palm to forehead* She was from Raffles JC, that's why.

Anywayz, we made our way to Fish & Co., where we indulged ourselves in a day of seafood galore!! I ordered a platter of fried Calamari -my abso-fuckin'-lutely favorite food!!- while Blome ordered a plate of Shrimp Salad & Pasta. Penese's order of Caesar Salad with Smoked Salmon was unavailable so we decided to cancel that & instead, opted for a basket of fries & two rounds of baguette pieces that came together with a round of garlic butter for each round.

Absolutely scrumptious!!

The pasta had an East-meets-West palate to it due to the moderate amount of sesame dressing that brought out the fragrance of the dish without being too overwhelming. Although the amount of veggies were a tad much, it couldn't be faulted for since, duhh...it's a salad. Of course there'd be veggies!! The shrimps were fresh & sliced into halves; though they weren't in abundance, it balanced the pasta well with its thousand island dressing. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds & a handful of sprouts completed the garnishing.

My Calamari was deep-fried in a flour batter that was served in a pan that came with three rounds of dips; tartar, chicken rice chilli & chopped garlic. Squeezing the wedge of lemon brought out the flavor of the squid & so did dipping it first into the tartar, then into the garlic. It was pure heaven.

Well, of course, for an ultimate Calamari fan, definitely it was pure heaven. But compared to the Calamari at Marche's, this was a much, much better buy. For one, the Calamari pieces were bigger than those at Marche's; really, the pieces over at Marche's were like ringlets that you could swallow only after a few chews.

Now, those at Fish & Co., however can get you chewing for awhile before finally taking a swallow. And by then, your sense would be filled with the burst of flavor coming from the flour, the sauces, the lemon juice & the squid as well.

To die for!!

True, even though the sauces at Marche's look more homemade than Fish & Co., it isn't quite a sufficient point, is it?? I mean, you're here to eat Calamari, not to sample the sauces so I guess the ones at Fish & Co., -or lack thereof- isn't exactly that big a minus.

And the big plus about the Calamari at Fish & Co., was that it was cheaper than that at Marche's!! Joooooooy!! Value for money due to the fact that you get more at Fish & Co., but pay a lesser price!! Isn't that a great deal??

So, of course, we all stuffed ourselves with the food on the table & I guess judging by the way we were eating made the 2 Caucasians sitting adjacent to us look back countless of times while drowning themselves in three bottles of liquer.

Ohh yeah, and did I mention that I've been stalked twice?? Well, the second time was exactly a stalking incident but close enough. Yeah, we shall discuss that next time. I seem to have a knack for attracting the wrong people.

Gee whizz...

Laterz...
Lenny GodGilla Xabs